Moving between provinces – what you should know

Each province has its own special culture and scenic spots to discover. You’ll also find that a move between provinces or territories will require you to:

Get a new driver’s license.

Get new Health Care insurance.

Change your voter’s registration.

While your current provincial driver’s license and health insurance is valid for a short time after you move, wait periods mean that it’s a good idea to apply for new ones immediately upon moving. Tip: many professions, from hairdressing to teaching, are licensed provincially – find out your profession’s provincial licensing requirements in advance to avoid a delay in starting work.

If you have children, are separated or divorced, and share custody/visitation rights, you will need legal permission to move the children from your current province. Family courts put a high value on a child’s right to have access to both parents. Keep in mind that child support enforcement differs by province and factor that in to your moving plans, when necessary. If moving in or out of Quebec, common law relationships in this province have different laws from the rest of Canada. There are no automatic rights for property division, the family home, spousal support, etc. – Quebec common law partners can register for a civil union to gain the same protections as a married couple.

If you are moving to Quebec you might not know that July 1st is the day when most leases expire and hundreds of thousands of people are on the move. Moving trucks are booked months in advance and traffic crawls in urban centres. On the other hand, it’s a great week for garage sales and “curb” furniture hunts! Quebec is very attractive to young families, due to well-subsidized daycare, low tuition rates, less expensive housing, and its unique cultural aspects.

A little bit of research and preparation before setting up in your new province will help you to avoid unexpected issues.